Watching the leaves change

I always knew I was a city girl.
Every city I've been in since I was a teenager, whether it was Chicago, Seattle, Houston, or elsewhere, I knew the energy of metropolitan life was for me. And oddly enough, when I thought of myself in a city, I never pictured a specific career I would be pursuing. I always thought about how I would spend my free time. Jogging along Lake Michigan's waterfront - going miles further than I would ever go at home - , or sipping a latte in a coffee shop shadowed by skyscrapers reading a book I still haven't had time to read.

I'm living a little of that life right now, and I love it. Though I haven't made it 10k nor finished reading nearly enough books.

I was running in Regent's Park today. The park is like a jigsaw puzzle, and every time I go I get to find a new piece of it. Today I noticed the leaves. I realized that they've been different every time. That's the only way I know the seasons are changing, my runs in Regent's. I jogged under a high ceiling of tree limbs today on a worn grass path next to the proper walkway, which was lined with benches. The ground was damp and covered in orange leaves that allowed pockets of grass to breathe in the gaps of their landings. Moss-covered trees tinted the pathway green on both sides, planted in perfectly measured distances, and the branches met at a peak like an arched hallway. I could see so far ahead of me, and I felt like I was the only person there.

In between my Regent's Park runs and long shifts at ISH, I've been planning my travels with friends. It makes me realize how little time I have here. Paris this week, Brighton the next, then it's November and a whole new month of traveling to Wales and Scotland.
All this traveling and working, and hardly any time to think seriously about my career choices. That's the reason behind this trip (or should I say justification?). I didn't know exactly what I should be doing where back in America, and I told myself that I might as well be confused about it in a different country. I've only learned that I know I want to continue my education, though I know not what in. I suppose a little progress is better than none.

Exciting news --finally figured out the slideshow tool! The pictures in the upper right show are mine, unlike the photo in this post, which I grabbed from a random site..